The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson

November 18, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Genre: Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

A wickedly witty cosy crime novel set in Sydney in the swinging sixties, ideal for fans of Richard Osman and Bonnie Garmus. They keep everyone’s secrets, until there’s a murder… Sydney, 1965: After a chance encounter with a stranger, tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene become accidental sleuths, stumbling into a world of ruthless crooks and racketeers in search of a young woman believed to be in danger. In the meantime, Hazel’ s job at Empire Fashionwear is in jeopardy. The firm has turned out the same frocks and blouses for the past twenty years and when the mini-skirt bursts onto the scene, it rocks the rag trade to its foundations. War breaks out between departments and it falls to Hazel, the quiet diplomat, to broker peace and save the firm. When there is a murder in the building, the tea ladies draw on their wider network and put themselves in danger as they piece together clues that connect the murder to a nearby arson and a kidnapping. But if there’ s one thing tea ladies can handle, it’ s hot water.

It’s the 1960s and Mrs Hazel Bates has been the Tea Lady at Empire Fashionware practically forever. She is welcome everywhere, from the busy factory floor right up into the CEOs board room. When her tea trolly rattles down the hallway everyone is pleased to see her no matter what else is going on in their lives. Hazel herself enjoys a quick cuppa and maybe a cheeky slice of cake with her staunch friends when they have their own break in the alley out the back. Her fellow Tea Ladies in the neighboring factories talk about everything and between them they have a wealth of knowledge. But when they each piece together evidence of a kidnapping, arson and even a dead body turns up unexpectedly, Hazel and her fellow Tea Ladies need to put their brains together to help the police sort out what’s going on.

As an avid tea drinker myself I simply had to purchase this book for the title and cover alone. I really enjoy a good mystery story, but rarely do I dip my toe into the historical context books, so this was a big leap of faith for me, and I was thrilled when this story turned out to be an exceptional tale. Part cosy mystery, part women’s fiction with a hefty slice of humour and good cheer this was a cracking read and before I was half way through I had both searched out the author (who has a number of other books out and a sequel of Hazel and her fellow Tea Ladies recently released) and made a note to purchase it in my next book order.

Set in Sydney, Australia in the 1960s I would strongly encourage other readers to not let this scare them away. I felt Hazel and her close friends are extremely relatable – women of a “certain age” and strong characters and I really loved and enjoyed them. Considering the time they’re in – and the war and difficult historical times they’ve lived through – I found them wonderfully strong, independent and yet still believable and relatable and to my mind that shows extreme skill on the author’s behalf and a real testimony to the strength of the plot and world she has built. I was also very pleased that all of the plot was neatly tied up – with no loose threads or unanswered questions.

Even better, I found myself engrossed in the plot – both with the occurrences in Hazel’s private life, the story of what the factory itself was going through with the fashion and women’s issue changes roaring through the 1960s and the murder mystery itself was strongly written and deeply interesting. Rarely have I been so pleased with a randomly picked up book and not only do I plan to re-read it very promptly, but I’ve actually purchased a second copy to post to a friend of mine who lives internationally and can’t find herself an easily accessible copy. I strongly feel it is well, well worth a try and tracking down.

With interesting, relatable characters, a lovely cozy mystery feel and a number of plots that were well balanced and circling around each other this book was a true joy to read, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out. Highly Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Kill For Me by Tom Wood

November 15, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Kill For Me by Tom Wood
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSE…

Victor is the killer who always delivers…for the right price. And Heloise Salvatierra, patron of Guatemala’s largest cartel, is ready and willing to pay him just that to eliminate the competition: her sister. Heloise has been battling Maria for control of the cartel in an endless and bloody war. Now Victor decides who survives. An easy job if it weren’t for the sudden target on his back.

…AND THEIR ENEMIES CLOSER.

Victor’s not the only one on the hunt. Someone else has Maria in the crosshairs and will do anything to get the kill. In the middle of cartel territory with enemies closing in from all sides, Victor must decide where to put the bullet before one is placed in his head….

For years two sisters have fought ruthlessly on the streets of Guatemala City to try and take the turf of their dead crime boss father. The war is still fiercely fought, but the sisters are at a stalemate. Until one decides to hire Victor to assassinate the other. Now caught up in the center of this vicious family feud, can Victor find his way out of the mess he’s stepped into?

I really enjoyed this book – an addition to the Victor The Assassin series. In part I thoroughly enjoy Victor’s character despite him being an anti-hero in virtually every respect. A cold and unquestionable killer, Victor’s perspective and rules are incredibly different from most other characters – even other anti-heroes. But despite that it is a pleasure to read the story and come along for the ride.

Despite this being a book in the middle of the series I felt the plot was very well encapsulated just within this addition. Readers who have read the prior installments will find a few Easter Eggs within these pages – mostly in the form of brief memories or recollections Victor has where one thing reminds him of a previous person or experience. While readers who haven’t read the prior books will realize this is reflecting on something prior the memories are always quite brief and while they are fun for the fans I truly feel not knowing/understanding the reference shouldn’t detract any from the enjoyment of the story this book tells.

I also feel this is definitely a book for people not expecting a Happy Ever After (and not even a Happy For Now) style of ending. This is very much a Suspense/Thriller style of assassin story where there are a number of Bad Guys and not even really a clear “Good Guy”. This is a somewhat different tale where readers should be aware it’s not a traditional story and while I feel satisfied with the ending it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Readers looking for something different, non-traditional and a bit outside of the regular box will likely be really impressed with this story.

With vivid and memorable characters, a rather twisty turn of plot and where no character is safe or considered off limits, this is a slightly different book that I found highly enjoyable. There is plenty of killing – though I don’t feel anything in this book contains over-the-top gore nor any titillation or overly graphic violence or glorifying of the killing. Keep in mind though this is a book about an assassin and there is plenty of killing, shooting and fighting.

A different read with a memorable anti-hero, and I will keep reading this series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Demon’s Queen by Katee Robert

November 13, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Demon’s Queen by Katee Robert
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self-Published)
Genre: Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Dicentra

Eve’s life might not be perfect, but it’s hers. She has money, freedom, and a client list that she’s handpicked over the years. If sometimes she gets a little too attached to those clients? Well, that’s her problem. After a stressful day, she’s looking forward to dinner and a long night with Azazel…until he asks her to sign a contract under the guise of roleplay—and then kidnaps her to another realm.

Azazel has been in love with Eve for years, but he knows his place. The window to offer her a contract has long since closed, so he takes her in the only way he can—as her client. Until one of his enemies realizes exactly how much Eve means to him…forcing him to lie to her to protect her.

Unfortunately for Azazel, Eve isn’t thankful for the protection. She may be stuck in the demon realm with her new captor, but she’s going to make him choke on every moment they spend together.

Too bad her heart is more in the mix than she’d ever admit…

“In my heart of hearts, I simply want someone to choose me, to love me above all others. I’m too old for fairy tales – I have been since I was a child – but some fantasies persist even when you know better.”

Informed consent is a big thing in the world of Katee Robert’s A Deal with a Demon series, and bargainer demon leader Azazel commits one of the biggest no-no’s ever in tricking Eve (an escort who he’s been seeing for months) into a lifelong contract. Determined to make him pay for it, a lot of frustration and angst ensues as each side tries their best to understand the other.

I’ve been waiting for this book ever since the first official one (The Dragon’s Bride) came out, and I have to say it did not disappoint. I’m really impressed with how the author has managed to write essentially 6 books that are happening almost simultaneously. Eve is the final ‘human’ that was put up to auction, but her deal was unique in that it wasn’t for seven years, and she didn’t really get anything out of it like the others. After seeing Azazel so calm and collected in previous installments, it was interesting to see him frazzled and bent out of shape in an effort to keep his territory together and keep Eve safe.

Azazel and Eve have an interesting dynamic. They go from casual lovers, to hating each other, and back to lovers again. Eve (understandably) makes Azazel grovel for forgiveness and it was quite fun to watch. It was also quite satisfying as a fan of the series to get more in depth as to Azazel’s motivation for holding the auctions in the first place.

Overall, a great read and a great ‘end’ to the series (since all of Ms. Robert’s books are interconnected in some way). If you enjoy short paranormal romance books with a monster flair, a guaranteed happily ever after ending, and a bit of drama, this would be a great choice. I highly recommend reading the series in order (starting with The Demon’s Bargain, which is set in the same world), as that will provide the best reading experience in my opinion.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Hitchhiker by Gabriel Bergmoser

November 11, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Hitchhiker by Gabriel Bergmoser
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The

Ahead he could see only the stretch of unending road, on either side brown-scorched plains of dirt and scrub, above it all a soaring blue sky and blinding sun. Desolation that looked, to him, a hell of a lot like freedom. He wasn’t playing by anyone’s rules anymore.

The

Have you ever done something bad? The question was like a clawed hand seizing his guts. It had taken everything he’d had not to whimper, to cower away and beg. But as he’d deflected, he’d told himself to stay calm. To be in control. He had to be in control here.

The

She’d made a mistake. Wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last. Ever since she’d left, all she’d found was more trouble. More fights. More secrets. More scars. Now here she was, still alive but a long way from anywhere, and with options dwindling fast.

From the award-winning author of The Hunted comes a fast-paced outback thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Dangerously close to fifty and newly divorced, Paul decides it’s time for an adventure and to escape the city. Driving out in Australia’s vast countryside, he stumbles upon a hitch-hiking young man who is clearly running – but from what? With only the two of them in the car in the vast expanse of the Australian desert it’s soon hard to know who the cat is and who the mouse is in this gripping thriller.

I picked this book up on a whim by this new-to-me author and found it a genuinely page-turning thriller. While initially the book was very much what I was expecting, it fairly quickly had a few interesting twists I didn’t see coming. Readers who enjoy a good thriller – one where the plot twists slowly and unfurls into something completely different to what you’ve been led to expect should find this a great story.

The book is divided quite well into three parts. It’s absolutely the one story but part one is told from one character’s perspective, then we are led into a different character’s voice and then finally into a third. I can’t recall reading a story in this exact manner – particularly as there isn’t really a jump in timeline or setting, it’s very much the one story slowly progressing along. I was greatly enjoying the plot by part two and the changeover in perspective and voice was both interesting and refreshing. Similarly, there was a significant twist when we moved into another perspective in part three. I’d had an inkling of this shortly before the twist and was delighted by how the author wrote this out.

There is a little violence and a few small gory sections, but nothing too strongly worded. I feel most thriller readers should feel comfortable with what occurs in this book, and I personally feel this story sits solidly in the thriller – and not horror – genre. That said I definitely feel this is a thriller and not a mystery or suspense novel. I was quite impressed at how the plot did twist and turn a fair bit, some of it was clear to see some of it delightfully surprising. This book felt quite unique and fresh to me, and I admit particularly for the second half of the book I found it very difficult to put down, wanting to constantly know how events would unfold.

Readers looking for a gripping thriller with a solid plot and a definite feeling of cat and mouse should absolutely give this book a go. I am happy with this purchase and look forward to more from this author.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

A Very Bad Thing by J. T. Ellison

November 5, 2024 By Leave a Comment


A Very Bad Thing by J. T. Ellison
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cholla

A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder.

With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she’s lying dead in a pool of blood.

Columbia’s death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on—at first. But then details emerge, pointing to the author’s illicit past. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won’t stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out?

She couldn’t have written a better mystery herself. But when world renown author Columbia Jones is murdered on her own book tour, who’s left to solve her murder? With no one trusting anyone else, it’s a race to the finish line for the daughter, the reporter, and the detective.

Every character in this book intrigued me in some way. Columbia Jones, of course, because she’s the hugely successful author who has a secret past that no one, not even her daughter, knows about. Watching that backstory unravel was worth the price of admission.

Riley and Darian are two sides of the same coin. Both are strong and independent women, successful in their jobs, but also struggling to find their true selves. In the beginning, I liked Riley a lot more than I did Darian. But as the story unfolds, you get to know Darian better and she becomes a more sympathetic character.

Probably my favorite part, however, was how you get a glimpse into the past through a short story that’s presented chapter by chapter throughout the narrative. It’s an unusual way of imparting information and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I’d love to see more of this kind of thing in novels overall.

What a twisty rollercoaster of a ride this story was. I’m never very good at figuring out who the culprit is, but I definitely had no clue this time around. Just as you think one suspect is eliminated, they’re drawn back under the spotlight. This is a good thing in my opinion. I like to be led astray in a novel because it makes the reveal even more rewarding in the end. And the author seems to be very adept at doing exactly that. I look forward to reading more of the author’s work in the future. The two I have read so far have both blown me away.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! – Mayor to Manic – My Journey Through Crazy by Gerry Taft

November 4, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! – Mayor to Manic – My Journey Through Crazy by Gerry Taft
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-Fiction, LGBTQ, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A creepy club. A sketchy fast food restaurant. Ultra wealth and urban poverty. A weird night during a political conference in Vancouver turns author Gerry Taft’s life—and mind—inside out.

Believing he’s about to die, with visions of good and evil conspiring around him, Gerry writes a contract to extend his life. He navigates this sudden psychosis and paranoia by posting about it on social media in real time—and running down the street with his daughter. The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! is the true story of an epic meltdown with real world consequences and important lessons.

Part memoir, part social commentary, Gerry uses his lived experience as a framework to discuss—and offer solutions to—the many failings in our society. The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! is a call to embrace shared values, have honest conversations, increase personal power, and decrease the pull of polarization.

Everyone needs sympathy sometimes.

Translating what it feels like to have a mental illness to people who have not been through the same thing is difficult. The author went into great detail about his symptoms and how they affected his life which was exactly what I was hoping to see in this book. The more information the general public has about how frightening and lonely this experience can be, the better informed they will be about what’s going on with their loved ones under the same circumstances.

There were some aspects of this memoir that I wish had been better explained. For example, the author described certain people in life as suddenly changing their minds about things they had agreed to. I was never entirely sure how many of these things were misunderstandings versus people genuinely changing their minds or both participants in those conversations coming away with slightly different memories of what happened. Nobody’s memory is perfect, of course, but I would have understood these sections better if more time had been spent teasing out what was truly going on there.

One of the things I appreciated the most about this memoir was how honest Mr. Taft strove to be about what really happened during his mental health crisis in 2023. Sometimes his memory was fuzzy for completely understandable reasons that were probably related to his mental state at the time and certain medications he was taking, but he kept circling back to sharing as many facts about this chapter of his life as he could recall. This was something he did even in cases when it didn’t necessarily paint him in a positive light. His self-awareness and willingness to admit that he was sometimes not very sensitive to other people’s feelings were admirable. Admitting one’s faults isn’t easy, and neither is genuinely trying to fix them!

The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! was thought provoking.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Handler by L.T. Ryan

November 1, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Handler by L.T. Ryan
Publisher: Liquid Mind Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A dead police officer…
A department desperate for answers…
Maddie Castle must take on the role that nearly took her life…
She must once again become The Handler.

A NEW crime thriller series from Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author L.T. Ryan with C.R. Gray!

Wounded in the line of duty, former K9 Handler Maddie Castle finds herself back to square one. The bullet that shredded her leg took the life of her four-legged partner. The pain of recovery goes well beyond the daily physical torment she endures.

Time is the supposed healer of all wounds. In Castle’s case, this hasn’t proven true. In a hail of gunfire, she lost not only her dog, but the one thing she loved above all else…the job.

Castle is back home in the trailer park she vowed never to return to. Taking a job as a private investigator has proven an unrewarding comparative to her former career. Barely making ends meet and hampered by the ever-present pain in her leg, Castle struggles to keep her footing in her new life.

A K9 handler from Castle’s old unit is gunned down. Castle is called in to assess whether the dog can be rehabilitated. The alternative is a consequence Castle can’t live with. Working to save the K9 might just well save Castle from herself.

As the hunt for the killer continues, Castle receives a call from a desperate mother searching for her missing son. The hunt for the boy leads Castle into the criminal underbelly of Pittsburgh. Powerful players who will stop at nothing stand in her way. Behind them lies the truth. Getting to it may cost her everything, including her life, as she seeks to expose a dark secret that could bring a city to its knees.

Follow Maddie Castle as she walks the blurred line of right and wrong in a desperate search for justice.

Wounded in the line of duty, former police K9 handler Maddie Castle lost more than her career when a bullet shredded through her leg, she lost her beloved four legged partner, her marriage and everything she valued in her life – including her health. Trying to piece everything back together by working as a PI she’s barely making ends meet and struggles daily to push past the pain – physical and emotional. When a K9 handler from her previous unit is gunned down, Castle lets herself get talked into retraining Tempest, to try and rehabilitate the devastated K9. Simultaneously she’s looking for a missing teenage boy, only to discover there’s a lot more to both cases than she had ever considered.

I’m an absolute sucker for military or police procedurals with four legged co-stars and I was thrilled to find this book was an exceptional addition to my regular roster. This is a new to me author, and the first in a new to me series so I was fairly cautious about giving it a go. I was about half way through when I put the book down and eagerly ordered the next in the series. I also did a quick search online to reassure myself this is still an ongoing series. I was really impressed with both the writing – which was a style I enjoyed – and with the plot and pacing.

As the first book in this series, there is a bit of background and character introduction which I enjoyed and helped me get a good feel and comfort with the world and main characters. By about a quarter of the way in the main plot threads were starting to interweave together in both a realistic and logical manner and even though there were some twists I felt it all worked together really cohesively and wasn’t over the top nor was it all a bunch of coincidences that felt pat or too contrived.

While it took a while for the action to really get rolling – I do feel this should appeal to readers who like a more police procedural style of novel as well as those who like a bit more action. There was plenty going on in this book and I enjoyed watching it all come together. I felt a particular strength in this book was none of the characters were clearly all good or all bad. Maddie is our heroine so clearly good, but she’s got both emotional scars and baggage to work through as well as some drug dependency. In a similar manner Simeon Gunn is clearly a “bad guy”, being the main drug source in their small area, and yet he is adamant none of his network sell to or recruit kids, and show proper respect to others in the community. So I really enjoyed how the characters were very clearly multi-layered and not two dimensional “good” or “bad”.

Readers who enjoy their mysteries with complicated characters, a good pace and plots that interweave together should find this book well worth a try, and particularly readers who enjoy animal side-kicks should be very satisfied with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

November Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ The Crossroads Hotel by Karen Avizur

October 31, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Crossroads Hotel by Karen Avizur
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Welcome to the crossroads, where hospitality reigns supreme for the guests who are anything but human.

Marjorie has spent the last two years managing the Crossroads Hotel and Diner, a roadside stop in rural Missouri with a guest list that’s anything but ordinary. The locals are one thing, but it’s the visitors from other dimensions that keep her on her toes. Now, as she trains her new assistant, Josh, he’s quickly learning that dealing with shapeshifters and ageless little girls is just part of the job. But when an unexpected earthquake shakes more than the ground beneath them, Marjorie and Josh discover something far stranger is at play, and it’s no mere anomaly. At a hotel where the bizarre is business as usual, handling the changes might just be the toughest check-in yet.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

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Broken Voyage by Lindsey Kinsella

October 31, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Broken Voyage by Lindsey Kinsella
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Stranded in the Arctic, the international crew of an illegal whaler find themselves in a race for survival. Can they survive the cold, the sea, and, most of all, each other?

Pushed to desperation in a bleak world ravaged by climate change, Lora M’Bandi flees her homeland to join a group of unlikely outcasts aboard the whaling ship Livyatan. When an explosion rips through the vessel, the crew become shipwrecked deep inside the Arctic Circle—sabotaged by one of their own. Now, they must trek across the treacherous sea ice to reach dry land before the ice retreats—all the while with a traitor in their midst and fearsome predators stalking their every move.

Who will make it out of this harrowing tale of horror and survival?

The threat of death lurks everywhere in the Arctic.

I enjoyed how much effort the author put into describing the characters’ backstories and explaining how they ended up illegally hunting whales on the Livyatan. This isn’t an occupation I’d generally sympathize with at all, but their reasons for breaking the law made sense once I got to know the characters better and understood how the powers that be let them down at critical moments in their lives. It was refreshing to understand their perspectives and why someone would agree to hunt such rare species.

It would have been helpful if more time was spent developing the mystery portion of the plot. The explosion that destroyed the Livyatan was such a crucial moment in the storyline that I was surprised by how little attention was given to figuring out why it happened. Yes, the characters needed to flee from the sinking ship and find a safe place to stay, but once they were out of the life raft they had plenty of time to think about what just happened and who might have been responsible for it. Having more clues to work with would have been beneficial for me as a reader, and I would have happily chosen a higher rating if they had been provided.

The world building was strong and intriguing. I especially liked how certain plot twists were shared with the audience as clips from news shows or when characters shared the latest headlines with one another. It made those revelations feel even more realistic, especially when certain characters had strong opinions in favor of or against what was happening in the world and I had a chance to compare their reactions with those who lived much closer to those wars, pandemics, droughts, and other critical events. Not everything affected everyone’s daily lives equally even if they were genuinely concerned about what was happening thousands of miles away from home, so it was also nice to have multiple perspectives on some of these moments.

Broken Voyage was a wild ride.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away by Andrew Larsen (Author), Oriol Vidal (Illustrator)

October 30, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away by Andrew Larsen (Author), Oriol Vidal (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Explore
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

A picture book about what we throw away, and why it might be worth keeping!

What if everywhere you looked, you saw something to make? Instead of seeing something broken, you saw something to fix? Instead of seeing something to throw out, you saw something to give away? This is how Nelson Molina sees the world. A former employee for the New York City sanitation department, Nelson saved over 45,000 objects from the garbage to fix and show his community through his museum, Treasures in the Trash.

Explore the hidden potential in what we often discard and think differently about consumption, waste, and the impact of small actions. With themes of upcycling, anti-consumerism, love for community, and finding joy, Gifts from the Garbage Truck inspires kids to think creatively and curiously about what they do (and don’t) throw away!

I think adults are going to like this as much as the 4-8-yr-olds that this story is geared towards. Imagination, creativity, awareness and a sense of accomplishment are the fruits this story can inspire in readers once they’ve finished. The best part is that it’s doable, real and the possibilities are exciting.

The storybook’s pictures/illustrations are vibrant and capture the neighborhood that Nelson Molina grew up in. There is an introduction that gives the reader an idea of his childhood and the role model who inspired his life’s passion – his mother. Her influence, positive outlook and strong sense of values helped shape a young man’s perspective. What is one person’s trash really can be another person’s treasure. It’s all in how you look at it. The pictures show what the words paint.

As an adult, I can appreciate the value, hard work and dedication to an underexplored career – sanitation worker. For decades it was a job that people looked askance at, looked down upon, or probably gave it no thought at all. I think Mr. Molina single handedly changes that in this story. I believe he shows how this profession isn’t just needed but can make a difference in any society. How?

Reimagining what can be, by either reusing, upcycling or recycling. Sure, those are buzz words today, but according to this little book, he’s spent a lifetime doing that and enlightening his co-workers along the way. He was and is a man before his time, ahead of the curve, if you will.

I think an engaged parent could take what this book presents and, together with their child or children, explore, discover and experiment with what items they have in their own home and before they think of throwing them away, apply the same wonder, imagination and artistic talents to those objects they find and see what they can do, too.

One of the things that I think was great was the author included practical tips you can do in real life with a single rain boot, and old T-shirt, cutlery you no longer use, and even old soda bottles. Mr. Molina even has a museum made up of all the treasures he’s discovered over the years. A testament to the beliefs his mom inspired in him when he was a young boy.

The author included another power hit when he wrapped up this story. At the end of all those great illustrations that capture a child’s eye, is the wow moment when the cartoon comes to life. There are actual pictures of Nelson Molina and the treasures in his museum. This makes everything in this story real to the child this book is read to. It means they too can really do the things Mr. Molina did. They may not pursue a career as a sanitation worker, but to reuse, upcycle and recycle is something we all can do, and it not only can be fun and rewarding but it can help people and our community in so many ways.

Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away makes me relook at the empty jelly jar in my hand and wonder – what else can I do with this? What can I make with this? Who else could use this? I believe this little book can inspire creativity and fun.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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